Plan to Succeed!

Posted by Rise Martial Arts

08/08/2012

Plan to Succeed!

Some people are planners by nature. Others are not. I tend to be in the not category. I can spend hours pouring over a great healthy cookbook and not try one recipe because of lack of planning. Is it New Year’s Resolution time yet?

But planning for health is so important. Without it life happens and unhealthy choices become so easy!

For example, July has been a crazy travel month for us as I’m sure you’ve noticed. The first trip was a great martial arts learning experience, taken at a slow pace, with many restaurant choices available, so eating healthy was very easy. The second trip to Tiger Rock World’s was set at a very hectic pace with very few restaurant choices available and sometimes very little time to order food and eat. Which means that I made a lot of poor food choices but felt I had little choice in doing so.

For example Friday was seminars, high rank testing, judging and our competitions. Seminars ran late so we had a half an hour for lunch break. So I had 2 sausage wraps without the wrap. Not too bad. But then after high rank taekwondo testing came judging and even though I didn’t judge and could have had…another sausage…I chose not to because I didn’t want to eat right before my martial arts competition. But…my competition started late…2 hours late to be exact. So I thought I’d be getting over at 9:30 and having a late dinner. I actually got over at 11:30. Oh wait is anything open?! Luckily the one sports bar in the hotel was open and was jammed…from everyone wanting dinner at midnight! Sorry, I don’t choose a salad at 1:00 in the morning because salads take a lot of time to eat. Kudos go to Mandy Looney who did order a salad. The sports bar was very slow since they weren’t expecting to be full at midnight with people ordering dinner. I chose a hamburger with bun and salad, gulped it down, and went to bed at 2:30 to be up at 6:30 to start judging. Yes lots of coffee the next day.

So, what could I have done instead? Below you will find a link to a paleo food blogger who traveled with her family and planned healthy eating. I was so inspired.

So I could have:

Asked for a refrigerator in the room. I found out later they were $25 extra a day, but in hindsight would have been worth it.

Gone to a grocery store and stocked up on instant oatmeal, fruit, carrots, beef jerky and even sliced deli ham and turkey.

Brought empty lunch boxes with me on the plane to fill with the above. I just bought these. They look pretty good.

Purchased some snacks from Paleo Kits and brought them with me on the plane. Probably needed to bring a bigger suitcase packed with food. I'm ordering some right now to make sure they are tasty!

My one plan was to purchase hard-boiled eggs from room service, but they didn’t have them. So sad. Maybe I need to plan ahead by asking for a room service menu before traveling.

All that said I really did not feel my best nearing the end of World’s. I’m learning to read my body better and I do not feel my best when I eat wheat. Next year, at Tiger Rock Martial Arts World Championships in New Orleans, I will have my lunch boxes and Paleo Kits, and hopefully a refrigerator in the room!

Happy planning.

Paleo food blogger who plans ahead for healthy eating at the Crossfit games. Day one